For fourteen years, Climate Group has hosted Climate Week NYC, creating worldwide impact and lasting change. This year was no exception; with 400 events across the five boroughs, Climate Week NYC brought together heads of state, CEOs, climate activists, students, artists, and changemakers of all kinds.
Setting the stage
New York provides the perfect backdrop for a week of inspiring events and moments; from the future of sustainable mobility at a Columbus Circle walkway with Riders Alliance to opening the stock market with Nasdaq in Times Square. We went live from LinkNYC screens across the city and supported roof-top farming and worker-led food cooperatives in Brooklyn. Plus the nights sky lit up green when New York’s landmarks celebrated Climate Week NYC.
We have made it our mission to engage the local community and are inspired by how they are #GettingItDone.
Climate Action is Our Business award
This year, we held our first ever 'Climate Action is our Business’ award ceremony which brings together local businesses and community organizations across the City of New York. It aims to bring attention to these sustainable options and uplift people who are genuine and ambitious in their efforts to address the climate crisis. This award recognizes local businesses for their exceptional work and is one way in which we are embracing and giving back to the city that has so warmly embraced us over the years.
After careful deliberation, our team narrowed down the list of over 50 Community Listings to five finalists. These finalists exemplify NYC’s can-do attitude and are shining examples of how New Yorkers are using creativity, community, and passion to make climate action their business. They are trailblazers, innovating a more just future:
We want to congratulate all the community listings for their dedication to climate action and for leading the way in #GettingItDone.
About our winner
We wanted our winner to exemplify the values of accessibility, climate impact, local engagement, and innovation and Earth & Me does just that.
Earth & Me was founded on the idea that sustainability, quality, and affordability shouldn't be mutually exclusive. Central to their mission is the idea of making climate action accessible for their customers and community. The store has a refill station that stocks organic and natural products, which is responsible for preventing tens of thousands of plastic containers from ending up in a landfill, an example of concrete climate impact.
Owned and staffed by Queens residents, Earth & Me exemplifies local engagement as it supports many local artists and small business owners by selling their products in the shop. They aim to change how their neighborhood understands circular, non-extractive consumption. One of Earth & Me’s core goals is to educate people on climate initiatives. They have grown a backyard pollinator garden where they host free and low-cost events where people can explore sustainability and environmental justice topics.
About our finalists
The Gen E app is free to download for anybody with a smartphone. Their main goal is to help close the funding gap for climate and biodiversity by empowering consumers to take climate action through automatic micro-philanthropy, driving new revenue streams for a targeted list of environmental nonprofits. The idea is for consumers to link any credit or debit card to their account, enabling them to take climate action with every transaction.
Celsious is Brooklyn's first and most exciting eco-friendly concept laundromat. At, Celsious, they are committed to a "cleaner clean." They provide the most energy-efficient professional washers and dryers and a line of 100% biodegradable laundry products free from dyes, bleaches and preservatives. They also have a café where they prioritize local products and minimize waste.
Brooklyn Supported Agriculture is a Black-led worker-owned online market that follows a cooperative business model. They are committed to supplying sustainable fresh produce to NYC in an accessible way, offering delivery and pickup in Brooklyn and Queens. They focus on reducing their impact through sourcing food from producers that employ sustainable farming practices.
Riverdel, located within the lower east side's Essex Market is a vegan cheese shop. By providing their customers with easy access to delicious and exciting alternatives to dairy cheese, they combat climate change with every bite. They also source their packaging responsibly and offer low-cost classes to teach their community about vegan food preparation.